Date: Mar 13, 2018 Source: The Daily Star Turkey will soon clear Syria's Afrin town of militants: government spokesman Reuters ANKARA: Turkey will soon clear the Syrian town of Afrin of militants and has already gained control of more than half the area, a government spokesman said Monday. "We have cleared an area of 1102 kilometer square from terrorists in Afrin. We will soon reach the town center and clear it as well," spokesman Bekir Bozdag told reporters. Turkey launched an operation into Syria's northwest Afrin region in January and has threatened to push further east to Manbij, where Syrian Kurdish YPG troops are stationed.